The simple combination of chicken, carrots, zucchini, kale, and rice makes for a comforting, easy, satisfying meal that hits all of my nutritional bases. >> PLUS makes a beautiful belly-warmer for the cold fall and winter months.

I could seriously eat this every day for lunch and dinner. Emphasis on the and.

Don’t you worry, this chicken soup recipe can also be made on the stove top or in the slow cooker. For slow cooker instructions, see myCrock Pot Chicken and Rice Soup, and for the stove top version, see the instructions toward the end of this post.

How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Rice:

This recipe is so quick and easy to make. All it requires is browning the chicken (right there in the Instant Pot/pressure cooker), dumping in the rest of the ingredients except the zucchini in, securing the lid, and cooking on Soup/Broth mode for 25 minutes.

Once the Instant Pot has finished its pressure cooking process, leave it on keep warm for 10 minutes, then use the quick release to let out the steam.

IMPORTANT NOTE!: One little tiddily wink that I do want to point out. If you’re a stickler when it comes to the texture of vegetables like my sister, you will either want to omit the zucchini, or add it in after the soup has finished cooking. The reason I point this out, is the zucchini becomes very soft unless you add it in after the cooking process has been completed.

If you take this route, you will have a minor extra step at the end: after releasing the steam and removing the lid, put the Instant Pot back on saute mode and add the zucchini. Cook until zucchini reaches desired done-ness, about 5 minutes.

At this point, you’re done, son! Your soup is ready to enjoy.

As promised, here are the:

Stove Top Instructions:

Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pot (a Dutch oven works marvelously). Sauté the onions until they begin to sweat.

Add the carrots, celery, garlic and rice and continue sautéing until vegetables have softened.

Scoot everything off to the side to make room for the chicken. Add the chicken and brown on 2-3 sides for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the broth, herbs, and sea salt, and stir well. Cover and bring soup to a full boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.

Stir in the zucchini and kale, cover, and cook another 5 to 10 minutes, until zucchini has softened.

Instructions

Plug in your Instant Pot and press the Saute button. Add the avocado oil and allow pot to heat up for a couple of minutes. Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until onion has turned translucent, about 5 minutes

Add the garlic and chopped chicken thighs (or breasts) and brown the meat for 1 to 2 minutes (avoid cooking it through).

Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and secure the lid. Press the Soup/Broth function and set the time to 25 minutes, keeping the vent sealed. Allow the pressure cooker to go into the Keep Warm mode and let it sit an additional 10 minutes.

Release the pressure by turning the steam valve to venting and let all of the pressure release. Once the pressure has released, you can remove the lid and serve the soup!

You can absolutely omit the regular rice! Honestly, if you’re going to add cauliflower, I would add it in the form of chopped florets rather than cauliflower rice – I think cauliflower rice would cause the texture to be gritty. If you choose to add cauliflower florets, add them at the same time as the carrots (before pressure cooking). Hope you enjoy! xo